Besides presenting information, the purpose of the many functional and creative social studies activities is to motivate and educate students in kindergarten through grade eight. Chapter 1 of this document provides an overview of perspectives on social studies. Chapter 2 focuses on geography and provides an extensive variety of basic information,…

A "maps in the news" unit can be used to help middle and junior high school students in many subject areas recognize basic map components and identify and analyze thematic maps while building writing skills. Prior to beginning the unit, the teacher introduces students to thematic maps, the parts of a map, and writing organization (topic…

This monthlong interdisciplinary, award winning project was designed to help kindergarten children in Kentucky understand basic economic principles that affect their daily lives. The children study about the poverty-stricken people of the Appalachian mountain area of the state. Through the operation of a classroom coal mine and company store, the…

Intended to help elementary and intermediate level students develop a global perspective, this manual contains ready-to-use activities dealing with the concept of myself and others. The materials can be used in courses in the social studies, language arts, mathematics, arts, and science, or in interdisciplinary courses. There are four parts to the…

If the current state of crisis in education in this country is to be remedied, certain reliable and verified concepts of education must be asserted and maintained. This paper suggests that the core concepts of the social sciences may be learned through exercises involving excerpts from "Great Books." These exercises involve learning the…

Developed to provide direct opportunities for children to explore the natural world, this book offers creative new approaches to teaching environmentally. A workshop format is used in this book, which consists of four separate chapters entitled: Adaptations, Habitats, Cycles, and Designs of Nature. Each chapter contains a series of workshops which…

Designed to develop creativity in young learners, this book contains interdisciplinary activities which focus on the theme of scientists. Activity pages are provided that can serve as front and back covers of a student booklet and the suggested activities can be duplicated for insertion between the covers resulting in a booklet for each student. A…

Designed to develop creativity in young learners, this book contains interdisciplinary activities which focus on the theme of energy. Activity pages are provided that can serve as front and back covers of a student booklet and the suggested activities can be duplicated for insertion between the covers resulting in a booklet for each student. A…

Designed to develop creativity in young learners, this book contains interdisciplinary activities which focus on the theme of water. Activity pages are provided that can serve as front and back covers of a student booklet and the suggested activities can be duplicated for insertion between the covers resulting in a booklet for each student. A…

Designed to develop creativity in young learners, this book contains interdisciplinary activities which focus on the theme of light and color. Activity pages are provided that can serve as front and back covers of a student booklet and the suggested activities can be duplicated for insertion between the covers resulting in a booklet for each…

Asia now claims more than half of the world's population and economically presents a challenge to the former western domination of the world's markets. With these changes, education for international understanding is essential. How can the classroom become the site for effective and balanced instruction about Asia? This document presents numerous…

Developed by a graduate seminar class, this guide is intended to help teachers use museums to integrate the arts into the elementary social studies curriculum. Although many of the resources included pertain specifically to Pennsylvania, the guide can serve as a model for educators in other states. Many different resources are provided. There is…

A three-part teacher's guide outlines methods of incorporating active art education and art appreciation into the elementary curriculum. The section on Arts and Learning contains readings on art and culture, art in education, and art as active learning as well as an introduction to the guide. The Arts and Teaching section contains four groups of…

Learning activities for using postage stamps in a variety of disciplines in elementary and secondary classrooms are presented. The book is divided into four sections. Following section 1, the introduction, section 2 presents 14 lesson plans, ranging in required class time from 15 minutes to several days. Each lesson focuses on a particular skill…

Designed to meet the diverse educational needs of youth groups, this aquatic program consists of eight individual lesson units, each devoted to one aspect of the aquatic world. Unit topics include: fish aquariums; raising earthworms; simulation of coastal planning; entomology and water; rope; calculating stream flow; saltwater aquariums; and fish…